Fox, GoPro to give fans a ref's-eye view of the field for Big Ten Championship

By Hillary K. Grigonis Updated December 2, 2016

GoPro Ref Cam | Minnesota vs Wisconsin | FOX SPORTS

Fans tuning in to Saturday’s Big Ten championship matchup between Wisconsin and Penn State won’t have to wonder exactly what the referee saw to prompt that call — because they can watch the play from the ref’s perspective. Fox Sports Lab recently teamed up with GoPro to equip referees with the point-of-view cameras for the College Football Playoffs.

Fox tested the concept last week during Wisconsin’s win over Minnesota, and now the broadcaster says that the action cameras will be fully integrated into Saturday’s national airing of the game between the Badgers and Nittany Lions.

Michael Davies, Fox Sports’ senior vice president of technical and field operations, told Forbes that the agreement was something the network and action camera giant had been working on all year. “It’s in our Fox Sports DNA to constantly challenge our team to come up with new and interesting ways to enhance the viewing experience, bring fans closer to the action, and make the story of sports even more compelling,” he said.

The action cameras are mounted onto the referees’ hats to capture a wide-angle view from the officials’ perspectives. The action camera mount allows the cameras to catch views of plays from on the field instead of from the sidelines.

Along with being part of the broadcast, the GoPro footage will also be available on Fox Sports Go during the game. Footage is also expected to be used on Fox Sports’ social media platforms and, of course, its website.

The game comes on the tail end of a week where GoPro announced that it would be closing it’s entertainment division and eliminating 200 positions as it struggles to return to making a profit.

Kickoff is at 8:17 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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